Feed mechanism for presses



Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-13,19I9- INVENTOR ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. PEERSON, or FIDRENCE, ALABAMA.

FEED MECHANISM FOR PRESSES.

To all-whom it may concern; 7

Be it known that I, JAMES M. PEERSON, a citizen of the United States ofAnierica, residing at Florence, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Presses, of which the following is a specification. 5

My invention relates to a novel mechanism for feeding the material to b'e'baled or compressed in cotton trampers or reciprocating plunger presses.

My invention is more particularly concerned with the production of a feeder mechanism especially adapted for use with presses having a continuously reciprocating platen. In such presses, and especially in the case of cotton trampers, it is of material importance that the feeder mechanism be adapted, during the interval-that the platen is raised out of the press box. to feed the, cotton with a quick and'rapid stroke and at the same time to distribute it across the press 'box.

My invention is characterized by the provision of a gravity operated sweeper, which is raised and thrown rearwardly-for a gravitating stroke by the platen as the'latter nears the completion of its up stroke, the gravity -movement of the feeder taking place during the interval required for the platen to complete its upstroke and to approach the press box on its down stroke. I

A further distinct advantage of my inven tion' is that the sweeper is adapted both to hold the cotton in the chute on the down stroke ofthe platen and-t0 hold the cotton under the follow board until the platen enters the press box, the platen acting as it descends to force the sweeper back into what Iterm its initial position, and to 'hold' it therewhile completing its down stroke.v My

invention also comprises the novel details of showing the sweeper in its raised position- Specification of Letters Patent.

' this'art. v

ously reciprocated by any suitable mecha- Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Application filed September 13, 1919. Serial No. 323,634.

andindicating by dotted lines the position to which it ispitched by the lifting action of the platen.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts'throughout the drawings.

In theembodiment of my invention illustrated, 1 IS a typical cotton press-box with which a platen 2 operated by a plunger 3- cooperates-in the manner well understood in The platen is preferably continunism 4 such as is formally illustrated in the drawings as it forms no essential part of my present invention. The cotton isfed to the press-box down a chute 5 from the condenser 6. I

The feeder mechanism is mounted above the feed chute 5 and comprises a air of vertically swinging arms 7 pivotal y connected at one endlto the condenser 6 or any other. suitable support and at their free ends being pivotally" connected to hanger arms 8.

whichhang vertically and near their lower ends are cross connected by the bars 9'to which are attached the vertical slats 10' which form a sweeper'at the lower ends of the hanger arms 8. At the center of the arms 9', I attach a vertical board 11 having on its outer face a wedgeshaped lug 12. On the outer side of each hanger arm 8, I mount a flanged roller 13; which rides on the rails 14:

suit-ably attachedby straps '15, to the'side walls of the chute. The arms near their free ends pass through slots 16 in'vertical stop plates 17 that are attached to a timber 18 or other suitable support (see Fig. 2).

1 At the center'of the platen opposite the board 11, I mount'an apron 19, which extends from end to end of the platen and carries on its face toward the chute, a stop block 20 against which a pivoted dog 21 is normally held by a cord or chain 22 passin through the apron and over a guide pu ley 23 and carrying the [suspended counterweight 24 at its free end. The d is pivotally'mounted at 25 on the platen an at its upper end has a notched detent 26,

"which faces towards the wedge block "12 on the board 11 and-is adapted to operate the sweeper in the manner which will now be described.

In Fig. 1 the platen is shown in that part of its up stroke'm which it has just emerged from the press box and it will be observed that the pawl 21 has engaged the wedge 12 on the sweeper; As the platen continues its up stroke the sweeper is lifted substantially vertically, until the arms 7 engage the top wall. of the notches 16-, which arrest them, so that the continued upward travel of the pawl will result in' throwing "the sweeper rearwardly towards the upper portlon of the" chute during which movement the detent 26 becomes disengaged from the wedge block 12, whereupon, the pawl is snapped back to position against the stop block 20 by the counterweight 24 and the sweeper is caused to swing downwardly by the action of the counterweight 27' carried by the frame 28 that is rigidly connected by braces 29 to the hanger arms 8.

As the sweeper is released by the pawl, the action of. the counterweight causes the whole sweeper frame to drop from dotted line position shown in Fig. 4:, at the same time,,the weight being rigid-on the hanger arms 8'will tend to swing them to vertical position. .The rollers 13 by engagement with the tracks 14 will support the'sweeper so that it will not engagethe chute bottom and will reduce its friction to a minimum.

The pawl 2l and the position of the wedge i 12,- as well as the stop plate 17 .may be designed to cause the sweeper to swing back as far as desired in the chute andthe quick gravitating feed movement of the gate will shoot the mass of accumulated cotton ahead of it underthe platenas' the latter begins its descent, causing a substantially uniform distribution across the press box and at the same time assuming position which will hold the cotton under the platen until the latter enters the press box. If the sweeper tends to swlng over the press box, the platen will.

move it back to position to close the lower end of the chute and the pawl will remain in contact with the board 11 throughout its stroke so as to prevent the sweeper swinging outwardly under the weight of the cotton I the fibre of the cotton.

in the chute so as to-be engaged by the platen on its up stroke. By this arrangement,' t he sweeper serves as a gate or apron to hold thecotton in the chute and in feed ing the cotton it will be observed that the .movement of the sweeper is not calculated to produce any dust nor to break or injure When itis desired to operate the platen to finish abale while holdingback the-ffeed of cotton in the chute, I provide stop pins engageand. h'oldthe sweeper in the dotted pos1t1on ;sh'own in Fig. I where itwill stand 31 in the side walls of thechute, which will andholdthecottonfed from the condenser ,until it is desired to again start the feed.

light gravitating feedsweeper into posi- While I prefer to have the platen throw the tion behind the'mass of material 'to be fed,

.I,nevertheless, claim as part ofmy invention the use of a sweeper adapted to slide by gravity-"only freel down thechute, until it construction of my invention can be widely varied without departing from my invention as set forth ,in the following claims.

Vhat I claimis.:- 1. In a press of the character described, a. reciprocable platen, a feed chute, a pressbox fed by the feed chute, a hinged vertically movable gravitating sweeper and platen operated means'comprising a hinged elementand a lug. engaged thereby to raise and throw the sweeper rearwardly in the chute.

, '2. In a press of the character described, a i

press box, a platen reciprocable thereinto, a

feed chute, a sweeperhinged above the feed chuteand havinga hinged downwardly hanging member adaptedto move therewith vertically and rearwardly into the 'feedchute, and means operable: by'the platen while the platen is rising above the'press box to-raise and throw. the sweeper memberupwardly and rearwardly. toward the intake end of the feed chute, said sweeper memberbeing adapted to slide responsive to gravity alone down the feed-chute-for the d scribed. r

3. In a press ofthe character described, a press box, a .reciprocable platen, a v feed chute, a sweepernorma-lly forming a gate I atthe lowerend ofLthe feed chute, means .responsiverto the rising movement of the iilaten above the press box to lift and move .the sweepertoward the intake end of the feed chute, and gravity responsive means to move the sweeper downwardly toward the discharge end of the-chute, after disengagement from the platen, 4. In a press of V a press .box, areciprocable z platen, a: feed armsconn'ected tothe-sweeper, stops to limit the'vertic'al play ofsaidarmS, a hinged connection betweenthe-sweeper and the -free ends of sa'i'da'rms, counter weight means for latter and throw it rearwardly :behind the mass of material collected in the chute.

5. In a press of the character described, a

7 press box, a follower, a feedchute, a sweeper having roller: supports adapted to ride down the feed chute, a swingingyframe abov'ethe sweeper, 'hinge'd' connections between" the sweeper and'frame, means 5 to limit the verticalplay. of saidframe, a lug on the sweeper,

iio

the character described,

chute, a sweeper, vertically movable pivoted .thesweeper, and a pivoted,elementwadapted t o"for'man operating sconnection between the rising platen and the sweeper to lift-the a hinged counter weighted pawl on the platen adapted to raise the sweeper and throw it behind the accumulated mass of cotton in the chute and gravity means to cause the sweeper LO force the material ahead of it into the press box. 7 V

6. In a feed mechanism for presses, a press box, a feed chute therefore, a feeding sweeper mounted to slide responsive to gravity alone down the feed chute toward. its

discharge end to discharge material into said press box, and mechanism to return the sweeper to position behind the material to be fed and there to release it for its gravity stroke.

7 In a cotton tramper, the combination JAMES M. PEERSON. 

